Reducing Burnout Among Frontline Healthcare Workers During COVID-19
NCT ID: NCT04474080
Last Updated: 2024-09-19
Study Results
The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.
Basic Information
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COMPLETED
NA
101 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2022-07-01
2023-08-01
Brief Summary
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Detailed Description
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During times of lethal pandemics, healthcare workers (HCWs) have a duty to serve on the frontline. Within three months of the first report of COVID-19, a global pandemic was declared and social separation and economic shutdowns were enforced around the globe. Meanwhile, resident physicians were redeployed to the frontline by their training institutions, inevitably jeopardizing their speciality training. In addition to the detrimental personal and substantial financial stressors generally incurred by persons during a pandemic, residents bear the burden of caring for others and witnessing tragic outcomes thus putting them at risk of "accelerated burnout". HCWs on the frontline during times of crisis and natural disaster historically suffer from more severe emotional distress, depression, anxiety, and social isolation. This is consistent with findings from a recent study of frontline workers in Wuhan, China during the COVID-19 pandemic, and reports of suicide among frontline workers attributed to COVID-19 associated stressors.
Many studies have aimed to delineate contributors of burnout and common themes that have emerged include excessive workloads, feeling unsupported, lack of autonomy, and lack of work-home integration. In addition to traditional causes of burnout, the heightened risk of occupational exposure to infection, process inefficiencies, limited resources, and financial instability have been established as additional stressors among HCWs during COVID-19. These factors, in addition to social stigmatization and ostracism by family and the fearful public have also been cited as major contributors to stress among HCWs during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) pandemic, the Ebola epidemic, and among HCWs caring for AIDS patients during the late 1980s.
Addressing burnout among frontline workers is essential to supporting Canada's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to 1) keep our frontline workers on the frontline, and 2) reduce inefficiencies and medical errors frequently linked to burnout, ultimately improving our ability to detect, treat and manage COVID-19 cases. Based on evidence from previous pandemics, the investigators anticipate the grave impact of the pandemic on frontline workers will outlive the pandemic itself, and HCWs will continue to struggle with post-traumatic stress in the midst of a crashing economy and more than ever strained healthcare system. To address this serious threat to health workers globally, the investigators wish to evaluate the effectiveness and acceptability of a virtual peer support program in reducing overall burnout among resident physicians during COVID-19 pandemic. Using an adapted intervention from West et. al, modified to six support sessions delivered across three months, the investigators will randomize different medical specialties to receiving this intervention employing a stepped wedged pilot randomized trial design. The goals of the pilot trial will be to assess feasibility of adapting an in-person group-based intervention to virtual platforms across multiple subspecialty residency programs at a single post-graduate medical education (PGME) institution in Ontario, Canada.
Conditions
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Study Design
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RANDOMIZED
CROSSOVER
PREVENTION
NONE
Study Groups
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Virtual Peer Support Platform
The intervention program content will be informed by "the BASICS"-a guide for supporting resilience against burnout, developed by the Ontario Medical Association Physician Health Program, as well as the Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) model, a transactive approach to modelling occupational performance issues in the field of Occupational Therapy. "The BASICS" highlights six fundamental domains will underlie the focus of group therapy sessions, where participants will be encouraged to consider how they may incorporate healthy physical and emotional practices both on their own (Person), and during the practice of medicine (Occupation), in addition to identifying barriers to adopting these practices within the healthcare environment (Environment).
Virtual Peer Support Platform
The intervention program will consist of 6 virtual 30-minute sessions delivered across three months. Sessions will follow a structured format including: check-in, issue identification \& context, facilitated discussion, environmental strategies, occupational strategies, experiential component, as well as summary and sign-out. Meetings will finish with a stress relieving activity, to be performed together on the web-based platform. The facilitated discussions will follow important themes including focus on self, patients, and external stressors.
Control period
Residents will continue with their regular academic day activities during the allotted intervention time.
Control Period
The control period will be the time prior to randomization and commencement of the intervention, whereby residents will continue with their regular academic day activities during the allotted intervention time
Interventions
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Virtual Peer Support Platform
The intervention program will consist of 6 virtual 30-minute sessions delivered across three months. Sessions will follow a structured format including: check-in, issue identification \& context, facilitated discussion, environmental strategies, occupational strategies, experiential component, as well as summary and sign-out. Meetings will finish with a stress relieving activity, to be performed together on the web-based platform. The facilitated discussions will follow important themes including focus on self, patients, and external stressors.
Control Period
The control period will be the time prior to randomization and commencement of the intervention, whereby residents will continue with their regular academic day activities during the allotted intervention time
Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria
* Must be able to provide written informed consent
Exclusion Criteria
18 Years
ALL
Yes
Sponsors
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St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton
OTHER
Responsible Party
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Zainab Samaan (Zena)
Associate Professor
Principal Investigators
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Zainab Samaan, MBChB, PhD
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton
Locations
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St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Countries
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References
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Zis P, Anagnostopoulos F, Sykioti P. Burnout in medical residents: a study based on the job demands-resources model. ScientificWorldJournal. 2014;2014:673279. doi: 10.1155/2014/673279. Epub 2014 Oct 30.
Grobler L, Mehtar S, Dheda K, Adams S, Babatunde S, van der Walt M, Osman M. The epidemiology of tuberculosis in health care workers in South Africa: a systematic review. BMC Health Serv Res. 2016 Aug 20;16(1):416. doi: 10.1186/s12913-016-1601-5.
Lai J, Ma S, Wang Y, Cai Z, Hu J, Wei N, Wu J, Du H, Chen T, Li R, Tan H, Kang L, Yao L, Huang M, Wang H, Wang G, Liu Z, Hu S. Factors Associated With Mental Health Outcomes Among Health Care Workers Exposed to Coronavirus Disease 2019. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Mar 2;3(3):e203976. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.3976.
Montemurro N. The emotional impact of COVID-19: From medical staff to common people. Brain Behav Immun. 2020 Jul;87:23-24. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.03.032. Epub 2020 Mar 30. No abstract available.
Ishak W, Nikravesh R, Lederer S, Perry R, Ogunyemi D, Bernstein C. Burnout in medical students: a systematic review. Clin Teach. 2013 Aug;10(4):242-5. doi: 10.1111/tct.12014.
Thomas NK. Resident burnout. JAMA. 2004 Dec 15;292(23):2880-9. doi: 10.1001/jama.292.23.2880.
Sasangohar F, Jones SL, Masud FN, Vahidy FS, Kash BA. Provider Burnout and Fatigue During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned From a High-Volume Intensive Care Unit. Anesth Analg. 2020 Jul;131(1):106-111. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000004866. No abstract available.
Shiao JS, Koh D, Lo LH, Lim MK, Guo YL. Factors predicting nurses' consideration of leaving their job during the SARS outbreak. Nurs Ethics. 2007 Jan;14(1):5-17. doi: 10.1177/0969733007071350.
Koh D, Lim MK, Chia SE, Ko SM, Qian F, Ng V, Tan BH, Wong KS, Chew WM, Tang HK, Ng W, Muttakin Z, Emmanuel S, Fong NP, Koh G, Kwa CT, Tan KB, Fones C. Risk perception and impact of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) on work and personal lives of healthcare workers in Singapore: what can we learn? Med Care. 2005 Jul;43(7):676-82. doi: 10.1097/01.mlr.0000167181.36730.cc.
Li Y, Wang H, Jin XR, Li X, Pender M, Song CP, Tang SL, Cao J, Wu H, Wang YG. Experiences and challenges in the health protection of medical teams in the Chinese Ebola treatment center, Liberia: a qualitative study. Infect Dis Poverty. 2018 Aug 16;7(1):92. doi: 10.1186/s40249-018-0468-6.
Barbour RS. Responding to a challenge: nursing care and AIDS. Int J Nurs Stud. 1995 Jun;32(3):213-23. doi: 10.1016/0020-7489(95)00003-g.
Whooley MA, Avins AL, Miranda J, Browner WS. Case-finding instruments for depression. Two questions are as good as many. J Gen Intern Med. 1997 Jul;12(7):439-45. doi: 10.1046/j.1525-1497.1997.00076.x.
Spitzer RL, Williams JB, Kroenke K, Linzer M, deGruy FV 3rd, Hahn SR, Brody D, Johnson JG. Utility of a new procedure for diagnosing mental disorders in primary care. The PRIME-MD 1000 study. JAMA. 1994 Dec 14;272(22):1749-56.
Other Identifiers
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11136
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id
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